Wear patterns

Not the patterns you are thinking about, my friends. I'm more interested in what parts of your clothes wear out the fastest.

I ask because I'm having a heck of a time with pants. I've lost two pairs in the past six months, and I've noticed a third pair starting to go. Not on the cuffs (they used to fray there, but then I started buying them the correct length), but on the seam of the crotch. I'm a little baffled as to why. Since I'm not doing anything that crazy down there, the only thing I can think of is that I put a lot of stress on that part when I walk. I walk a lot and I have a very long stride, so that is probably pulling them apart. I've started buying more relaxed fits and even slightly larger waists to prevent it. I've never had the problem with knees on jeans that others seem to have, and my shirts seem to stay intact forever.

How about others? Do your clothes rip, or do you just get tired of them and toss them out?

I also get the crotch rips too! I wondered what it was at first but then realised I actually sit with my leg rested on my knee (and sometimes crossed legged) so that's where the strain comes from mostly for me, I wore out a pair of Levi's in less than a year because of that...

Other clothes that wear are just because of being over worn and washed so just get worn out. Apart from one shirt I buttoned recently ripped across the chest because I've been doing some intense working out over recent weeks; which was a bit of an ego boost, but I'll humble it down and say it was a very slim fitted shirt anyway.

The old crotch wear - I've razzed up numerous pairs of pants in the last 2 years with a split in the crotch area - really annoying as I've lost expensive pairs of jeans far too early in their lifetime!

I have never had problems with "premature crotch wear", and I think it might be because I've got a rather prominent rear. I fill out the trousers to the point where there is absolutely no sag at all, and I always wear a belt to keep them in place.

I've noticed that people who wear their trousers lower, tend to have this kind of wear more often. I think you're onto something, Matt, when you say you've got a long stride. I think the extra strain on the seams, and friction caused by loose cloth might play a part in it.

I get it a lot on my jeans, if they have a low rise or you wear them lower than your waist the excess material will be constantly pulled, stretched and tensed while you walk, sit or do pretty much anything. Properly fitting jeans that sit on the waist and that don't have lots of excess material will last a lot longer.

Now that's interesting. I had never heard anyone else mention this problem, so I thought I was the only one! Nice to know that I'm not.

I admit that I never would have thought it was because the pants were too loose. I had considered that I sometimes rest my ankle on my knee, but I never cross my legs at the knee, just at the ankles. So that seemed unlikely. I was shopping on Saturday and one guy said I wearing my jeans too high. I disagreed. I'm pretty sure he was just saying that because he didn't have any 36-inch inseams and was trying to sell me a 34, though a group of women at another boutique also said the 34s were fine (including a couple customers...it was four against one there). They did not recommend lowering them at all, either.

I've been avoiding belts lately just because I like the style (and my shirts usually cover my belts, so why wear them?). Maybe they are falling down? Thanks for the tips, guys!

I've been avoiding belts lately just because I like the style (and my shirts usually cover my belts, so why wear them?). Maybe they are falling down?

I used to skip the belt as well, as I liked that look. However, I discovered a lot of my trousers were losing fit a lot faster than for those who wore belts. I do a lot of sitting at the office, and if the trousers are not firmly on the waist, they will stretch and lose fit around the bottom.

As for the 36" vs 34". A tighter waist fit might take some getting used to, but the trousers will always stretch a bit. So when you try them out in the shop, they should feel tight - not restricting or uncomfortable, but they shouldn't be loose at all. But hey, I'm only speculating, and the most important thing is always to be comfortable in what you wear.

Its like crotch wear anonymous in here! I again thought it was only me. The area around the seams ends up shredded after a year or so, I think i wear my jeans fairly low and have quite a big stride compared to the size of my legs

As for the 36" vs 34". A tighter waist fit might take some getting used to, but the trousers will always stretch a bit. So when you try them out in the shop, they should feel tight - not restricting or uncomfortable, but they shouldn't be loose at all. But hey, I'm only speculating, and the most important thing is always to be comfortable in what you wear.

Sorry, those sizes were for the inseam, not the waist (the discussion with the shopkeeper/women was if they were long enough or not). Still, your advice is good. I do have a pair of corduroys from the Gap that felt a bit tight when I got them, but they have loosened up. It seemed to take six months for that, so I'm not sure if that's normal or not. I was concerned that they would tear easier being tighter, but that doesn't seem to be the consensus here. I don't wear them as much as my other pants, so I can't say if that has happened or not yet.